My cup runneth over

It’s my birthday this weekend and it only seems appropriate to reflect on the goodness that brought me here to another year of standing. I want to tell you about this collage and why I love it so much. I have deep affection for all of the people in these images of the last year:

My friend Kimberley whom I have known since I was 15, asked me to join her at Wolf Trap where we enjoyed hearing Cheryl Crow in concert. I am so grateful our friendship has endured through the years.

Cassie the GSD taught me the joys of this breed. I bet you didn’t know that I was afraid of German Shepherds previous to knowing Cassie? I learned so much that I eventually got a GSD rescue, Sarge. He unfortunately turned out to have problems but I wasn’t afraid to help him face these issues.

Shashi Bellamkonda, a very busy Social Media Swami for Network Solutions, has kindly spent time with me over the past year sharing his creative energy

My dear sister Denise, is a constant source of advice, arse kicking and laughter, depending on what is required.

Karuana Gatimu who is just one of many amazing SharePoint women I am honored to call friend, shares her positive energy and outright knowledge colleague to colleague.

My ex husband is a really great Daddy and I really respect how well he has helped raised our daughter to be the amazing young woman she is today.

My dear grandmother was an icon of elegance, patience and love for her family. I strive to imitate her best qualities.

My beloved daughter, was the center of my life for many years. As she enters adulthood, she is growing into a woman with her own life (!) that I find interesting and charming. She remains someone I would always want to be friends with anyway, even if she weren’t my daughter.

and yes, even the AIM running man. I have many dear friends who are current or former AOL players and I feel truly blessed to have them in my life, so the AIM running man means a lot of good things to me.

And of course, no discussion of what a great year I had would be complete without mentioning my best friend who has insisted on teaching me how to have fun! To wit:

We each have so much to be thankful for, have you told those people in your life how much you cherish them? The encouragement to live in the moment is powerfully good advice. My experience has been that when there is a deep appreciation for the here and now, one has greater satisfaction in life. So I leave you with the words of Dale Carnegie:

Today is life - the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today.